A Common Word

When I first started my graduate education, I was attracted to the framework of Abrahamic Religions or the idea that Jews, Christians and Muslims should return back to their founder, Abraham, to better understand their faiths and move beyond contemporary differences. In the last several years, I have been traveling to Southeast Asia as the director of the Barzinji Institute for Global Virtual Learning at Shenandoah University. Through my travels, I have seen the power and influence of Islam in the region and how it interacts with other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. I sit down with one of the foremost experts in Islam in Southeast Asia, Khairudin Aljunied, to better understand the region and Islam’s relationship with other faiths.

Younus Y. Mirza is a Visiting Researcher at Georgetown University and Director of the Barzinji Institute for Global Virtual Learning at Shenandoah University which seeks to improve America’s relationship with Muslim-majority countries. He is currently writing a book about the Islamic Mary. To learn more about his scholarship, teaching and speaking, please visit his website http://dryounusmirza.com

Dr. Khairudin Aljunied (PhD SOAS, London) is a Professor of Islam in Southeast Asia at the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC-IIUM).

He is concurrently a Senior Fellow (formerly and Professor as well as Malaysia Chair of Islam in Southeast Asia at the Alwaleed Centre for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University).

He has held visiting full professorships at Columbia University, USA (Fulbright Program) in 2013, University of Brunei Darussalam in 2021-2022 and the University of Malaya in 2022-2023.

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Visit the Maydan website for more podcasts, blogs and videos.

Visit my website to learn more about my bio, research, and blogs.

Join my listserve to be updated about my research, speaking and publications, especially my book on the Islamic Mary.

Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!

A Common Word podcast focuses on Islam and Interreligious Studies. It is inspired by the Qur'anic verse 3:64 which calls the People of the Book to "a common word" and the A Common Word Initiative held in 2007 in Amman, Jordan. It interviews scholars, activists and practitioners in the realm of bridge building, peace studies and social justice.

Subscribe to A Common Word podcast which is available on the major podcast streaming services, such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Visit the Maydan website for more podcasts, blogs and videos.

Visit my website to learn more about my bio, research, and blogs.

Join my listserve to be updated about my research, speaking and publications, especially my forthcoming book on the Islamic Mary.

Thanks for listening to A Common Word Podcast!